May tea exports up 12.4% YoY

• Iraq remained the leading importer of Ceylon Tea during the first five months of 2025
• Libya ranked second with imports of 9.42 million kilograms, up 324% YoY

Sri Lanka’s tea exports expanded 12.4 percent year-on-year in May 2025, reaching 21.87 million kilograms, compared with 19.45 million kilograms in the same month last year, industry data showed.

All product categories posted growth during the month except Bulk Tea, according to data released on Monday. The average Free on Board (FOB) value in May increased to Rs. 1,804.31 per kilogram, up 1.8 percent or Rs. 32.07 from Rs. 1,772.24 a year ago. In U.S. dollar terms, the FOB value rose by US$ 0.12.

For the first five months of 2025, cumulative tea exports rose 5.2 percent to 103.28 million kilograms from 98.16 million kilograms a year earlier. All segments, excluding Bulk Tea, recorded positive volume growth over the period.

The average FOB value for January–May stood at Rs. 1,756.46, down 0.9 percent or Rs. 15.87 year-on-year. However, in dollar terms, the FOB value rose US$ 0.15 from the previous year. All categories except Bulk Tea and Packeted Tea saw positive gains in rupee terms, while all categories registered increases in dollar terms.

Iraq remained the leading importer of Ceylon Tea during the first five months of 2025, with purchases rising 18 percent year-on-year to 14.47 million kilograms, from 12.29 million kilograms a year earlier. Libya ranked second with imports of 9.42 million kilograms, up 324 percent from 2.22 million kilograms in the same period last year. Russia placed third despite a 15 percent decline in volumes to 9.12 million kilograms, down from 10.67 million kilograms. The United Arab Emirates imported 7.20 million kilograms, reflecting a 30 percent drop from a year ago, while Iran climbed to fifth position with 5.87 million kilograms, marking an 18 percent increase.

Türkiye recorded a decline of 18 percent to 5.78 million kilograms. Chile followed with 4.74 million kilograms, ahead of China (4.22 million kilograms), Saudi Arabia (3.56 million kilograms), and Germany (3.27 million kilograms).